1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to baking, more particularly, to processing dough.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the preparation of dough, such as pizza dough, it is advantageous to deaerate the dough. Various devices have been disclosed for such purposes, typical examples being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 550,337; 730,124; 819,772; and 1,807,009.
Devices known as “dough dockers” may be used to deaerate dough. A dough docker typically consists of a cylindrical body, like a rolling pin, with radially-extending teeth or projections for perforating the dough in a predetermined manner to aid in the removal of air. With a manually operated rolling pin-type device, inconsistencies in the deaerating process will occur if the operator is not careful to insure uniform rolling throughout the length of the dough. If one end of the rolling pin rotates faster than the other end, an unequal stretching of the dough will occur which may cause a tear or other imperfection. If the pressure on the rolling pin varies, the dough is compressed in spots, resulting in a non-uniform thickness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,216 discloses a dough sheeter with an integral docker. The docker is driven by a belt that drives the sheeter system. The problem with this arrangement is that the docker will always operate at the same speed relative to the sheeter. This is a problem when handling doughs of different thicknesses and/or consistencies. It is preferable to have a docker with a speed that can be adjusted relative to that of the sheeter. Also, the gap through which the dough travels past the docker can be adjusted, but the adjustment is very inconvenient.